Ghost named boombox-toting clergyman Cardinal Copia as their new frontman last Friday, April 6th. Wasting no time, the band gave their first heavy-metal mass with Cardinal Copia at a private event in Chicago that same night. In addition to the usual staples, Copia and the Ghouls gave their new single "Rats" its live debut. Footage of the highly-anticipated track's unveiling — and most of the intimate set, for that matter — has proven scarce so far, but fortunately, lucky attendees did manage to capture the new lineups' first-ever "Cirice" on camera. Check it out now.
Cardinal Copia's inaugural set with the Ghouls follows a series of videos introducing Ghost's newest incarnation. The band are set to kick off their Rats! On the Road tour in May — find a full itinerary here.
Ghost have yet to announce a release-date for their forthcoming record, the follow-up to 2015's Meliora. Mysterious mastermind Tobias Forge divulged some details about the record in a recent interview with Revolver. "It's a themed album around medieval times, but it's definitely clinging onto a lot of very current things," he said. "The Black Death [plague] is a great example of a turning point for a whole civilization. Complete villages were annihilated. Most people knew very little, so all of it was God or the Devil — and about their faith being questioned: Why are we being stricken down by this great scourge? It must be because of our not fearing God enough and all this superstitious bullshit."
